Snapshot
by Lucky MacGregor
Summary: A glimpse into the lives of two Jedi newlyweds.
1. Chapter 1

Mara Jade Skywalker sat bolt upright out of a dead sleep. She felt the old familiar pain in her stomach, as if she had been sucker punched in the gut, and struggled to catch her breath.

The Emperor was long dead. Gods, did she know that. But there was always that thought in the back of her mind, the one that had her constantly wondering when he was going to come back for her. How she'd escape this time. If he was finally going to kill her. Mara blinked a few times, then looked around the room she was in. It was an old habit of hers, scanning the room and bracing herself for any possible danger. She'd woken up in some very strange, often unsafe, places in the past and often had little or no time to defend herself.

In her rational mind – that's what the Mind Healers called it – she was safe. She was sleeping with _the __most powerful Jedi in the galaxy _for kriff's sake. One who'd defend her to the death if need be. But, as the old saying went, old habits died hard.

The bedroom was dark, save for a few blinking lights on R2-D2's dome. The little astromech droid, upon hearing Mara coughing and sputtering, woke up. He let out a series of concerned chirps directed at his mistress.

"I'm fine, Artoo," she croaked once her diaphragm cooperated with the rest of her body and she was able to take a breath. "Just a dream."

Artoo chirped a few more times before letting out a soft _woo _sound.

"Yes, buddy, I'm sure."

Artoo let out another short chirp that Mara swore translated roughly to "bantha shit."

Ignoring the sassy droid's latest quip, Mara looked over at the chrono glowing on the nightstand beside the bed. Upon realizing the time, she let out a quiet groan. Only a few more hours until training at dawn. Too late to take something to help her sleep. Instead, she reached over to grab her datapad, hoping a few episodes of _Married with Ewoks _would relax her enough to let her at least get another couple hours' rest.

Luke, her husband of about one year, stirred in the spot beside her. He turned to face her, half asleep, his face etched with concern.

"Mara," he asked, his voice still sleepy. "Another nightmare?"

"Mmm, yeah."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nah. Get your rest. One of us should."

Luke sighed. He felt the emotions rippling off of his wife through the Force. Pain, fear, suffering. Mara's past wasn't something she liked to talk much about. He'd figured out bits and pieces over their friendship, though. He'd feel the fear she felt every time she had one of her nightmares, and saw how she flinched if he touched her in a certain way. He knew how fiercely protective she was of their little niece, Jaina – even almost throttling the boy who made the mistake of touching her chest once. It was only with Luke and another couple of strong Jedi masters physically holding Mara back that the boy managed to make it out of that one alive.

From there, Luke was able to put the pieces together.

The Jedi in him didn't want to give in to his darker emotions. But the husband and uncle and older brother in him _hated _that sick bastard Palpatine for what he did to Mara and probably countless other little girls across the galaxy. He felt a bubble of anger rise up within him, but he quickly swallowed it, being careful to shield his emotions from the young Jedi sleeping in the dormitories down the hall.

"Mara...you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I'm fine. Go to sleep."

"Come on. I know you better than that."

"Drop it, Skywalker," she replied, a touch of anger in her voice.

Deciding that probing was going to do more harm than good, and result in an argument that would _definitely _wake up his students, Luke kept quiet.

Instead, he reached out to touch his wife, his organic hand resting on her cool, clammy temple and his cybernetic hand putting gentle pressure on her hip. Mara needed her rest, and he had just the thing to help her – an old Jedi relaxation trick he often used on Leia's children when they were younger and fighting their sleep. He closed his eyes and concentrated as he began rubbing her temple in a circular motion.

Mara put up a good defense for a few seconds, her annoyance clearly felt through their Force bond. Then, just as Luke anticipated he would, he broke through her walls and felt her begin to succumb to slumber.

"Don't think you can use that trick on me, Farmboy," she said blearily, her eyelids suddenly feeling a lot heavier. She let out a yawn and nestled herself into Luke's chest. "I'm...not a...baby."

The last thing Mara remembered was Luke's lips on the back of her head, his nose buried in her messy auburn waves.

"Goodnight, beautiful," he whispered before settling back into slumber himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Mara walked through the living room of the Coruscant apartment she shared with Luke, relying on the Force to help keep her balance as he leaned on her for support and groaning as she struggled to guide him to their bed. It didn't take a Force bond with the man to feel the heat welling off him, or to just look at him and see how sick he was. Even as he haphazardly walked through their apartment, relying on Mara to even be able to stand, he kept insisting he needed to work.

_There was no such thing as a day off for the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. There were classes to organize, bills to pay, urgent matters on Yavin that needed his attention... _

"'M fine, my fireball. Really," he slurred. "Don't see why you're making such a big deal of this."

"Skywalker, you have a fever of 40.5 and you passed out in the hallway trying to get to the bathroom. You're not going anywhere except to bed."

"Mmm..."

Mara nudged the door to their bedroom open with her foot, opening it just enough for them to walk through. She helped Luke to the bed and sat him onto it.

"And Cilghal's going to be here any minute, so lay your butt down. And, by Force, if I see you get up again, I'm going to tie you to the bedposts."

"'Zat a promise, Red?"

"Shut up, Farmboy," she replied, a smile curling at her lips.

"Roger, roger, Red Leader," he giggled. "Red Leader. Get it? 'Cause you're red."

"Luke."

"You're sexy. Can you be my girlfriend?"

"Luke, we're married."

A big, dopey grin tugged at the Jedi Master's lips.

"You're my _wife? _Hot damn!"

"Just lay down."

"Okey dokey, smokey."

The Mon Calamari Jedi healer arrived about fifteen minutes later, carrying a bag of medical supplies on her shoulder and wearing a stethoscope around her neck. House calls were the exception, not the norm, for her. But when Mistress Skywalker called her in the middle of the night with more than a tinge of worry in her normally level-headed demeanor, Cilghal decided to break that rule.

It was odd and more than a little off-putting, Cilghal thought, seeing two powerful Jedi masters at a pretty vulnerable point: the Grand Master lying in bed, pale, sweating and shivering, while the other looked on in concern, wearing nothing but the latter's tunic.

They were thoughts for another time, Cilghal thought, as she refocused on the matter at hand. A shot of antibiotics, some painkillers and a few bags of fluid later, Luke was resting somewhat comfortably.

He took Cilghal's cool, clammy hand.

"Isn't she the _best, _Fish Lady?"

"She is, Master," Cilghal replied, brushing off the informal moniker. "Mistress Skywalker, I'm going to take my leave now. Keep an eye on him and comm me in the morning. And, Mara?"

"Yes?"

"Try to get some rest, too."


	3. Chapter 3

It was another late night for Luke, and an unusually chilly and rainy one as well. By the time he left to retire for the evening, it was already half past one – long past bedtime for all of his junior pupils and many of his senior ones.

The halls of the Jedi Temple were quiet, save for the clicking of his boots as he made his way to the quarters he and Mara shared. He fully expected her to be asleep by this time: she was feeling a bit under the weather – some kind of cold going around the Temple – and decided she was going to get some rest after supper.

Luke opened the door to their small apartment. There wasn't much in there: a little kitchen with a table for two, a chair, a bed, a 'fresher and a sofa. The glow of Mara's datapad, playing old reruns of "Everybody Loves Garmanarnar," filled the room with a soft blue glow. On the end table was a glass of water, some crackers and an empty mug of Corellian whiskey and lemon juice. And sleeping peacefully at the end of the sofa, curled up in a brown blanket and a fluffy pink bathrobe, was Mara. Her long auburn hair was spread out every which way on the pillow under her head and across her face. She was, as the saying went, dead to the galaxy.

_You tell anyone I own anything pink, Farmboy, and I swear to the gods I'll kill you where you stand._

Luke shut the door behind him, careful to be quiet so he didn't wake her. She always had trouble sleeping, being plagued constantly by nightmares, so to see her sound asleep was rare. She needed her rest, though, especially being sick.

He knelt down beside her, brushing strands of hair out of her face. As he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, she stirred a bit.

"Luke...is that you," she mumbled in a sleepy whisper.

"It's me."

"What time is it?"

"Late. Come on. You'll be more comfortable in bed."

"'M sleepy, Luke."

"I know."

He leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, grunting a bit as he picked her up off the couch. Everyone knew Mara the assassin, and Mara the Jedi, but few people knew how _small _she was. And, at this moment, vulnerable. Open. And loving, he thought, as she nestled her head into his shoulder.

Luke carried her the few feet to their bed, using the Force to peel back the covers, and laid her down. She was still mostly asleep, thank the Force. He was sure she'd taken something to help her with that. She stirred a bit but, thank the Force, didn't wake up completely.

He gave her another kiss on the forehead before he covered her up, turned off the lights and shut the bedroom door.


	4. Chapter 4

The hot midday sun beat down on master and apprentice as they sparred in the Yavin woods, lightsabers sparking as they made contact with one another. The apprentice's amethyst blade swung down, while the master's blue blade blocked it almost effortlessly. Her young apprentice stood strong and unyielding, even as sweat poured down her face and her dark curls stuck to the back of her neck.

_Like her mother. So much like her mother. And that effortlessly royal glint in her caf-colored eyes, like the certain long-dead senator from Naboo whose portraits graced the halls of more than one Imperial palace. _

Mara drew her saber back, shutting it off. The blue beam of light disappeared down into the hilt. The younger woman followed suit, clipping her lightsaber hilt onto her belt and grinning at Mara.

"Good work, Jaina," Mara said, putting her own lightsaber in its place.

The younger woman nodded. "One more round?"

_To have that kind of boundless energy again. That kid would spar in the woods all night if I let her. _

"We need to be getting back. It'll be lunchtime soon, and then you need to hit the books. You have an exam tomorrow."

Mara began walking in the direction of the Jedi Temple, Jaina trailing slightly behind her, her annoyance palpable through their Force bond.

"Ugh, Auntie," she said with a scoff. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, Jaina, you do."

"But it's so boring and pointless."

"Far from it," Mara said, turning to look at the teenager. "A Jedi needs to know her history, where she came from and her place in all of this, not just how to fight."

"But –"

"No buts. And if you fail this exam, you're not going off-planet for a month."

"That's so not fair," the younger woman protested. "Mom and Dad won't even kn-"

Before she could finish her thought, the soft ground had given way out from under her feet, sending her tumbling onto the sharp rocks of the river bank several meters below. Mara knew it was bad when the normally plucky teenager didn't get back up right away. Instead, the girl struggled to sit up, grimacing in pain every time she tried to do so. Finally, with a pained whimper, she laid back down on the rocks and didn't move again.

"Jaina!"

Before Mara could even register what had happened, or how she had made it down from such a height so quickly without getting hurt herself, she was kneeling beside the younger woman. Jaina was pale, shivering and unable to get more than a few words out at a time.

"Ow... Auntie Mara," Jaina whimpered, eyes shut tightly. "It hurts. It...hurts."

"Where?"

"My back. My belly."

Mara lifted the hem of Jaina's tunic, sucking in a breath as she saw blood oozing rhythmically out of the small but deep gash on the younger woman's abdomen. Blood began to collect under the girl, dripping onto the rocks below her. Mara ran the back of her hand along her niece's cheek. She was cold, clammy, and was going to need a hospital and a blood transfusion.

_Oh, gods, Han and Leia are going to kill me. No. Focus, Jade. Focus. _

In her years working for the Empire, and later as a smuggler, Mara had treated more than her fair share of her own – and others' – injuries. But that was her, on a ship full of medical supplies – not her niece in the middle of the forest with nothing more than a canteen of water and a couple of lightsabers. Walking was out of the question. The girl couldn't even move without crying.

At least her comlink had a good signal and a full battery. She pressed the button on the bracelet-like device, calling the one person she knew was still on-planet. The comlink beeped once, twice, three times.

"Damn it, Skywalker. Pick up."

Nothing. He was probably in class, or meditating, with his comlink tucked away in a locker somewhere. His mental blocks were also quite strong and, after several attempts at reaching him, Mara gave up.

The sun beat down on the women through the trees, making the hairs at the nape of Mara's neck stick to her skin. But Jaina was shivering, her lips quivering and teeth chattering.

"'M cold."

"I know, kiddo. We'll get help."

She tried the comlink again. Once again, no answer.

"Kriff it all to seven Corellian hells," Mara exclaimed a little louder and with more frustration than she intended.

"I'm sorry, Auntie Mara."

"What? Why? For getting hurt? It's all right."

_She's going to die out here. _

_No, no she isn't. Not if I have anything to do with it. _

"Jaina?"

"Yeah?"

"Stand up," Mara said, reaching down and grasping the younger woman's hand in hers. "Come on, take my hand."

"It hurts too much."

"I know. But we have to go."

"Where?"

"Home."

With one swift movement, Mara pulled the girl up onto her feet. Jaina grimaced, waves of stabbing pain surging through her body, and began to cry.

"I know, I know, it hurts. Get on my back."

She lifted Jaina onto her back, eliciting another agonized cry from the younger woman.

"It's over," she panted. "Good job. We'll be there before you know it, but you have to stay with me. Okay?"

"O – okay."

Mara trudged through the woods for what felt like hours, feeling Jaina drifting in and out of consciousness through their Force bond. As she felt hot blood dripping down the back of her tunic, she let out a concerned sigh.

_Talk to the kid, Jade. Keep her awake. _

"Did I ever tell you about the time your uncle carried Master Yoda on his back like this?"

"Mmm."

"It was when he met the old master on Dagobah and did his own Jedi training. He climbed trees and swung from vines and did flips. All with this little green creature in his backpack," Mara said with a small giggle. "We're almost there, okay?"

"Mmmhmm."

_Shit. I'm losing her. _

"You know, I wanted to kill your Uncle Luke when we first met. Still do sometimes."

_Like when you don't answer your damn comlink in a kriffing emergency, Skywalker. _

"Jaina, can you hear me? Jaina?"

Nothing.

A slight breeze blew through the forest, cooling the sweat on the back of Mara's neck and eliciting a strong shiver from Jaina. The Jedi Temple had come into view by this point, prompting Mara to quicken her pace.

"You're gonna make it, kid. Come on."

With a groan – Force, Mara hated getting older – she shifted the weight on her back and pushed herself to run the final few feet to the Temple steps and up to the doors. Using the Force, she opened the heavy wooden doors with a loud _slam. _

A few students stopped in their tracks to gawk at the dirty, sunburned Jedi master and her barely-conscious, profusely bleeding, niece on her back.

"GogetMasterSkywalkerrightnow," she spat out, glaring daggers at the kids. "Go!"

They scampered off toward the direction of the Council Chambers, calling the grand master's name.

Mara dropped to her knees, gently peeling her student off her back and lying her down on the cold stone floor, using the Force to make sure she didn't drop her. Then she turned around to look at the girl.

_Oh, Gods, this is bad. This is bad. This is really bad. _

Jaina's tunic was completely bloodied, and the blood from the gash on her stomach was still coming out steadily. Her face was gray, her eyes sunken and her lips almost white. Mara touched the girl's face. Cold. Clammy. She was breathing, but barely. She reached out to the girl through the Force. Nothing.

The familiar sound of heavy boot steps came down the hall at a furious pace, accented by the quick and hard to decipher voices of several students talking over each other all at once. Not far behind them were the Healers, chattering amongst themselves and trying to make their way through the group.

The steps stopped abruptly, followed by Luke's familiar voice giving a stern order for the students to go to their rooms and stay there. Thank the Force. The last thing Mara needed was an audience.

She felt Luke's presence in the Force grow nearer as he all but ran to her side.

"What the hell happened, Mara?"

"It was an accident, Luke," she replied in an uncharacteristically emotional tone. "She slipped. And fell. On some rocks."

She looked beyond her husband at the Healers and watched as they worked on Jaina. One worked to stem the bleeding while the other struggled to find a vein to start a blood transfusion. The girl grimaced as the Healer poked and prodded at her, finally finding success in a large vein in one of her wrists. As the Healers carted her off toward the medical ward, Mara felt something inside her break.

"I'm so sorry, Luke," she sobbed, heavy tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Luke's features softened, and he pulled his crying wife toward him in a strong embrace.

"Shh, Mara, it's okay," he said. "It's all right. She's in good hands. C'mon. Let's get cleaned up."


End file.
